Macbeth Supernatural

The supernatural is defined as manifestations that are beyond scientific understanding. If this is so, there are many supernatural elements in Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. In Macbeth, the supernatural is a vital part of the structure of the framework. It provides a stimulant for action, an insight into the character, and augments the impact of many key scenes. His contemporaries believed in the supernatural very strongly and a majority of them were fearful of it, including King James I. Shakespeare displays the natural as good and the unnatural/supernatural as evil to set a dark mood. He included supernatural parts, unnatural events in nature, and unnatural elements in the real world. In Macbeth, the supernatural appears in various forms, including three witches, a floating dagger, ghosts, and prophetic apparitions. The three witches set an underlying tone of evil and darkness throughout
the play by meeting in dark places at primarily dark hours. Shakespeare used them to add an eerie and haunting atmosphere. Furthermore, the witches have the power to create apparitions and hallucinations. For example, when Macbeth sees the bloody dagger he realizes it is the power of Hecate, who is the leader of the three witches. In addition, they also set up conditions for disaster by informing Macbeth of his future. Their appearance may be minimal, but they are the most striking voice of the supernatural and pushed the play in motion. Macbeth’s hallucinations are also supernatural and have a darker meaning attached to them. The bloody dagger that appears in front of Macbeth symbolizes his risky decision and foreshadows murder. It demonstrates Macbeth’s sanity slowly fading away and becoming a victim to his delusions. Moreover, Lady Macbeth also finds herself hallucinating blood all over her hands and the strong urge to wipe them clean. The guilt has taken over her sanity as well and she cannot escape her actions. Ghosts also make an appearance in Macbeth. After Macbeth sends assassins after Banquo, he finds himself haunted by Banquo at a banquet. His ghost creates a sense of horror that Macbeth is trapped in. Furthermore, the prophetic apparitions the witches provide contribute to the devilish supernatural occurrences. The first one is an armed head that warns Macbeth of the Thane of Fife. The second one, a bloody child, informs him that no one born of a woman may harm him. The third one is a child crowned with a tree in his hand and gives him a false sense of security with the Birnam Wood prophecy. Finally, the last apparition shown to him is the line of royal descendents with the last one holding a mirror. Overall, the supernatural instances encouraged action and kept the story moving forward and are an essential element to Macbeth. Shakespeare also used unnatural occurrences in nature to convey a disruption in the natural order once Macbeth killed Duncan.
The witches predicted it as well, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air.”(Shakespeare 1.1.12-13). In this quote they are basically saying that right is wrong and wrong is right; right is natural, wrong is unnatural. It explains the dark, stormy, and reckless night the witches conjured. It is representative of “the battle” between the king’s forces and the ones who oppose him. Another unnatural element is the dark sky covering the ‘travelling lamp.’ This serves as an allusion to the king’s murder. In Macbeth, light represents life, God, and good and dark is evil, bad, and death. In addition to the weather being disrupted, the natural order of animals was discombobulated as well. The falcon being killed by an owl was also unnatural as well as Duncan’s horses killing each other. These unnatural events all lead to the conclusion that the real world and the supernatural worlds are merging together to create one
hell. There are also unnatural events in the human world; Lady Macbeth’s role in her marriage, Duncan’s murder, and Banquo’s death are all evidence of unnatural elements. Macbeth uses power as a constant theme throughout the whole play as seen in Lady Macbeth. She plays a more dominant position in the relationship. Macbeth has trouble making decisions and is weak. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth knows exactly what she wants and is a stronger person. Some may say that Lady Macbeth ‘wears the pants’ of the relationship. This is considered unnatural and out of the ordinary for this time period. The murders of Duncan and Banquo are also unnatural. “It is concluded: Banquo, thy soul’s flight, If it find heaven, must find out tonight.” (Shakespeare 3.1.141-142). Overall, Lady Macbeth’s independence and the multiple murders disrupt the system and ultimately lead to Macbeth’s death. In conclusion, most of Shakespeare’s plays use the supernatural is used to give another great effect to the plot of the story. In addition, Macbeth uses the supernatural elements to move the story along. There are also unnatural elements in nature and in the real world. Furthermore, this tragedy merges the supernatural into the natural world to create a dark mood.